1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an ejection mechanism for discharging a recording medium cartridge, such as disc cartridge. The present invention also relates to a recording and/or reproducing apparatus for recording and/or reproducing the information for a recording medium cartridge, such as a disc cartridge.
2. Description of Related Art
There is known a disc cartridge having housed therein e.g., a magneto-optical disc as a disc-shaped recording medium.
Among portable recording and/or reproducing apparatus for recording and/or reproducing the information on or from this sort of the disc cartridge, there is a so-called slot-in type recording and/or reproducing apparatus in which a disc cartridge is adapted to be thrust into a main body portion of the apparatus.
This slot-in type recording and/or reproducing apparatus includes a main body portion of the apparatus, having an insertion/ejection opening for a disc cartridge, and a lid that enables the insertion/ejection opening to be opened/closed.
The main body portion of the apparatus includes a disc driving mechanism for rotationally driving a magneto-optical disc in the disc cartridge, a recording and/or reproducing mechanism for recording and/or reproducing the information on or from the magneto-optical disc in the disc cartridge and a loading mechanism for causing movement of the disc cartridge between an insertion/ejection position for inserting/ejecting the disc cartridge and a loading position for recording and/or reproducing the information on or from the disc cartridge.
A lid is rotationally supported on the main body portion of the apparatus and is biased by a torsion coil spring in the direction of closing the insertion/ejection opening. So, with the lid, dust and dirt are prevented from being intruded into the main body portion of the apparatus.
The loading mechanism includes a cartridge holder in which to load the disc cartridge, a slide operating member for causing movement of the cartridge holder between the inserting position and the loading position, an ejection member moved by this slide operating member for extruding the disc cartridge loaded on the cartridge holder from inside the cartridge holder, and an operator for causing movement of the slide operating member.
The cartridge holder includes a holder in which to load and hold the disc cartridge. The cartridge holder is provided with plural pivots, on a lateral surface thereof parallel to the insertion/ejection direction of the disc cartridge, for movably supporting the cartridge by the slide operating member.
The slide operating member is mounted for extending along the lateral surface of the cartridge holder, and is provided with plural cam grooves for shifting the catrdge holder between the insertion/ejection position and the loading position. The slide operating member is formed integrally with an operating member for operation in a direction parallel to the direction of movement of the slide operating member.
The ejection member is mounted facing the holding portion for the cartridge holder and is moved in a direction of extruding the disc cartridge held by the cartridge holder as the cartridge holder is moved to the insertion/ejection position as the result of the movement of the slide operating member.
The operator is mounted for movement in unison with the operating portion for the slide operating member and is mounted at a position of facing outside of the main body portion of the apparatus.
In the slot-in type recording and/or reproducing apparatus, described above, the disc cartridge is inserted at the insertion/ejection opening and held by being loaded on the holding portion of the of the cartridge holder. In the recording and/or reproducing apparatus, the cartridge holder, loaded with the disc cartridge by the loading mechanism, is moved from the insertion/ejection position to the loading position. In the recording and/or reproducing apparatus, the magneto-optical disc of the disc cartridge, loaded in position, is rotationally driven by the disc rotating driving mechanism, at the same time as the information is recorded and/or reproduced by the recording and/or reproducing mechanism.
If, in the present recording and/or reproducing apparatus, the disc cartridge loaded in position is to be ejected, the operator is moved as with the finger end to cause movement of the slide operating member via an operating portion. As the slide operating member is moved, the loading mechanism causes movement of the cartridge holder from the loading position to the insertion/ejection position through the pivots engaged in the cam grooves. As the slide operating member is moved, the ejection member is moved to cause the disc cartridge held by the cartridge holder to be extruded and ejected via the insertion/ejection opening. That is, in the recording and/or reproducing apparatus, the slide operating member is moved by movement of the operator to eject the disc cartridge held by the cartridge holder through the insertion/ejection opening.
In the above-described slot-in recording and/or reproducing apparatus, the slide operating member mounted on a lateral surface of the cartridge holder holding the disc cartridge is moved to cause movement of the cartridge holder between the insertion/ejection position and the loading position to effect the operation of loading/unloading of the disc cartridge.
In the slot-in recording and/or reproducing apparatus of a system other than the so-called power loading mechanism, in which the cartridge holder is moved by other than the driving mechanism, an operator moved by the finger end is mounted facing outside the main body portion of the apparatus. It is this operator that produces the movement of the slide operating member.
Meanwhile, in the above-described conventional recording and/or reproducing apparatus, the operator is moved for ejecting the disc cartridge from the main body portion of the apparatus, the slide operating member is moved directly or indirectly. In the latter case, the magnitude of the operating force is changed through another coupling member.
So, with the conventional recording and/or reproducing apparatus, in which the slide operating member is moved by the operator, it is necessary to provide an operator of high toughness to secure mechanical strength, thus raising the production overall cost of the apparatus.
Moreover, in the conventional recording and/or reproducing apparatus, a larger operating force is required to actuate the slide operating member, so that, for securing the larger operating force, the operator tends to be bulky in size.
If the operator is increased in size relative to the main body portion of the apparatus, the portable recording and/or reproducing apparatus cannot be reduced in size or thickness, thus imposing limitations on the degree of freedom in the designing of the apparatus which needs to be reduced in size or thickness. Moreover, in the conventional portable recording and/or reproducing apparatus, the operator, acted on with the finger end, needs to be indented by way of providing finger support, with the result that the operator is further increased in size.
Thus, the conventional recording and/or reproducing apparatus has a drawback that, particularly if the apparatus is of the portable type, the operator protruded appreciably to outside is liable to be subjected to shock in case of inadvertent descent of the entire apparatus with the operator end first, thus leading to destruction.
That is, the conventional portable recording and/or reproducing apparatus of the slot-in type has a deficiency that it is more liable to be destruction descent than in the case of other types, thus lowering the reliability in the ejection of the disc cartridge.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an ejection mechanism and a recording and/or reproducing apparatus whereby it is possible to improve tractability and reliability in ejecting a recording medium cartridge.
In one aspect, the present invention provides an ejection mechanism including an insertion/ejection opening through which a recording medium cartridge is to be inserted into or ejected from a main body portion, a lid provided for opening/closing the insertion/ejection opening, and means for ejecting the recording medium cartridge through the insertion/ejection opening. The lid is provided with an operating portion which is operated relative to the insertion/ejection opening for opening the insertion/ejection opening for actuating the ejection means.
In the ejection mechanism, an operating portion for the lid acts on the ejection means when the lid is actuated for being opened relative to the insertion/ejection opening to eject the recording medium cartridge from the insertion/ejection opening.
In another aspect, the present invention provides a recording and/or reproducing apparatus including a main body portion having an insertion/ejection opening for inserting/ejecting the recording medium cartridge, a lid provided on the main body portion for opening/closing the insertion/ejection opening, and means for ejecting the recording medium cartridge through the insertion/ejection opening. The lid is provided with an operating portion which is operated relative to the insertion/ejection opening for opening the insertion/ejection opening for actuating the ejection means.
In the recording and/or reproducing apparatus, the ejection means is acted on by the operating portion of the lid, as the lid is acted on relative to the insertion/ejection opening, to eject the recording medium cartridge from the insertion/ejection opening of the main body portion of the apparatus.